Easy and Natural Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol

by Jessica Brindel

When choosing any diet plan, you should always make an effort to manage your intake of bad cholesterol, or LDL. While the easiest way to do this is minimizing your intake of meat and eggs, there are many other natural ways to accomplish it as well.

Get More Vitamin E

Taking 400 international units of Vitamin E can prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol. Oxidation is the process that causes cholesterol to harden and become plaque, increasing the risk of heart attack. Vitamin E also raises the level of HDL. HDL is a good form of cholesterol that actually helps remove any bad cholesterol clogging your arteries. Start taking a Vitamin E supplement or add things like olive oil and nuts to your diet.

Don't Skip Breakfast

People who eat a healthy breakfast are less likely to crave food throughout the day. They are also less likely to overeat during any of their other meals also. Making this a habit can lower your cholesterol intake even if you do splurge on your favorite fast food and will lead to weight loss.

Enjoy Small Meals Frequently

Large meals cause your body to release a huge amount of insulin. This will stimulate cholesterol production too. Eating small, frequent meals without increasing the total calories will limit this process. Eating on a steady schedule like this will also increase your metabolic rate. If your body knows you're going to be feeding it regularly, it is less likely to store.

Eat More Fruit and Beans

While many vitamins and minerals can play a role in cholesterol production, Vitamin C is one of the most critical. It's responsible for raising HDL levels. If you get your Vitamin C from fruit, you'll also be ingesting a fiber called Pectin. This fiber actually flushes cholesterol out of the digestive system before it hits the blood stream. Pectin can also be found in beans, so be sure to add more of them to your diet as well.

Add Garlic to Your Diet

Eating about seven cloves of garlic daily will cause a significant reduction in cholesterol. Even the best of garlic lovers may have some trouble taking in that much through diet alone though. You might want to try taking an odorless garlic supplement as well.

Skip the Decaffeinated Coffee

You may already know that caffeine isn't very good for you heart, but removing it from your coffee may not be helping much either. Coffee beans actually contain a chemical called cafestol, which can hinder the body's ability to control LDL cholesterol. Regular and decaffeinated coffee contain the same amount of cafestol, so you should really avoid it all together. If you still need an energy booster, try taking ginseng.

Remember, not all cholesterol is bad! Lowering your intake of LDL, but increasing HDL cholesterol will improve your health. If you can't do without meat and eggs, practice these tips and moderation to keep your arteries and heart healthy.

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